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19th June 2026

The Kneale Inheritance & New Voices in Horror: Headpress’ 35th anniversary extravaganza

Two events of the day – the work of Nigel Kneale and student-made short horror film The Shedding

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Music from the Margins & Sex Murder Art: Headpress’ 35th anniversary extravaganza

19th June 2026

Music from the Margins & Sex Murder Art: Headpress’ 35th anniversary extravaganza

Two events of the day – obscure, bizarre music and the films of Jörg Buttgereit with Headpress founder David Kerekes

Manchester Literature Festival: Douglas Stuart in conversation with Greg Thorpe

16th June 2026

Manchester Literature Festival: Douglas Stuart in conversation with Greg Thorpe

The Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain spoke at Contact Theatre days after the release of his newest work, John of John.

It’s a Fitzcarraldo Spring: New Releases from Polly Barton and Dorothy Tse

It’s a Fitzcarraldo Spring: New Releases from Polly Barton and Dorothy Tse

From counterculture to pop culture: The story of indie publisher Headpress Books

From counterculture to pop culture: The story of indie publisher Headpress Books

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From Grad-Scheme Panic to Internship Wins: Breaking into Northern Publishing

18th April 2026

From Grad-Scheme Panic to Internship Wins: Breaking into Northern Publishing

Long gone are the days of moving to London for prestigious Penguin internships. Northern publishing is on the rise, and here’s how to be part of it

Seven reads to welcome spring

17th April 2026

Seven reads to welcome spring

Although the weather seems to be lagging behind, Spring is here and with it comes a whole new season of reading

AI and the publishing industry: Can human creativity keep up?

22nd March 2026

AI and the publishing industry: Can human creativity keep up?

I contacted three independent publishers to garner their views on AI and discover how it is impacting the industry.

Philosophical Fiction: The Literary Antidote for a Digital Age

16th March 2026

Philosophical Fiction: The Literary Antidote for a Digital Age

Literature with philosophical leanings might just be the antidote to constant doomscrolling

Why James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room still feels so modern at 70

10th March 2026

Why James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room still feels so modern at 70

Giovanni’s Room is startlingly modern – and it knows exactly what we’re afraid of

The perils of adapting ‘Wuthering Heights’

The perils of adapting ‘Wuthering Heights’

Emerald Fennell’s version of Brontë’s masterpiece is visually striking but emotionally hollow, losing a lot of the power of the original

Six books to read for International Women’s Day

Six books to read for International Women’s Day

Women’s writing has always been at the forefront of narrative and genre innovation, and here are six books that prove just that

Gender in Little Women

Gender in Little Women

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women remains one of the most enduring examinations of gender, identity, and societal expectation in nineteenth‑century America.

A Queer Scrapbook: Britain and Ireland since 1945 – a review

10th February 2026

A Queer Scrapbook: Britain and Ireland since 1945 – a review

Queer history is usually told through court cases and Acts of Parliament. A Queer Scrapbook: Britain and Ireland since 1945 asks what happens if we start instead with photocopied flyers and creased photographs. Editors Justin Bengry, Matt Cook, Rebecca Jennings, and E. J. Scott assemble a tactile, visual record of post‑war queer life that feels […]

Celebrating the grand citadel of the mind: Jeanette Winterson at Manchester Literature Festival

26th November 2025

Celebrating the grand citadel of the mind: Jeanette Winterson at Manchester Literature Festival

On a rainy Tuesday evening, Jeanette Winterson explores the power of storytelling as a way to stop time and control fate

The courage of literary translation

19th November 2025

The courage of literary translation

Literary translation is not so black-and-white, and understanding this grants us a wealth of new meaning

Do we still need the Booker Prize?

17th November 2025

Do we still need the Booker Prize?

The Booker Prize has been around since 1969, and with the 2025 Booker winner just being announced, let’s take a look at its position in the modern literary world

A writing workshop with Lily Dunn

15th November 2025

A writing workshop with Lily Dunn

On a cold Autumn morning, I attended a writing workshop with author Lily Dunn, putting the advice in her book Into Being to good use

Sayaka Murata at Manchester Literature Festival

4th November 2025

Sayaka Murata at Manchester Literature Festival

Sayaka Murata’s latest novel to be translated into English, Vanishing World, is a bizarre and often deeply troubling novel. As one of the stars of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival, she came to Manchester Central Library to talk about the book. If anyone went to the event hoping for clarity on the novel, or indeed the […]

Simon Armitage at Manchester Central Library

4th November 2025

Simon Armitage at Manchester Central Library

Simon armitage gives an entertaining and thoughtful talk for Manchester Literature Festival, as Poet Laureate.

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